We too, used to dig out dandelions, but then we attended a talk given by the then Prince of Wales's (now King Charles) head gardener, who said that the prince hated weeds to be grubbed from his lawns. The theory is that the leaves are always green and that the flowers are an insect's delight. As we know, the seedheads are things of great beauty. There are metaphors for life everywhere there.
Needless to say, we now leave all weeds alone in the lawns and now we have the yellows of dandelions, the blues of rampant ajuga and the mauves of thuggish violets - but we have a fabulous population of insects. Natural wildness all round. Perhaps another metaphor...
How wonderful! Yes, exactly "metaphors for life everywhere" 💕 I'm so glad to here how you heard and embraced this message!
We’re always balancing here on the homestead. Carving out specific spaces for specific purposes. Clear this space to grow this crop. Make this space neat and tidy, for your table and chairs and your morning coffee. But clear carefully, by hand if possible, so you can leave in-place all the little treasures you find. And everywhere else, leave the tangles and the wild meadows, let the wildflowers grow! Because that’s how you invite all your wonderful, delightful, surprising wild neighbors to share that morning coffee with you! :) It takes more thought, patience, acceptance, I suppose - but it's such a delightful work and reward!
Thanks for commenting, Prue, this is a subject that's so close to my heart 💕
🤣Thank you, Don, maybe so! Although, nature & gardening are always surprising me with new & profound illustrations, so hopefully there's more where this came from 🤣 Seriously, though, thanks so much for the high praise 💕
Beautiful! I resonate with the emotional lessons learned through gardening and you have described it so clearly. This metaphor is exquisite. I love that dandelions are the teacher here too because they literally move our livers which helps us clear wastes, including processing hormones and neurotransmitters that influence our moods and emotions. I too let dandelions grow some places and dig them up other places. I too ask emotions to rest and wait at some times and allow them to rise up when I have the time and space to face them. You've done a lovely job of sharing how plants can be teachers without even being consumed.
Thank you, Lindsay, for this thoughtful comment! I didn't know that about dandelions, nutritionally, so fascinating. "...ask emotions to rest and wait at some times and allow them to rise up when I have the time and space to face them." You put that so beautifully into the practical terms of daily living. I'm so glad to have been able to share this dandelion moment with you :)
Beautiful and uplifting post, Sydney! The dandelion as a weed and as a metaphor really does let the sunshine into our internal landscapes. I love how you’ve crafted this and the photography is outstanding. A true testament to resilience.
I live dandelions but now also live the metaphors you’ve brought to mind. I used to have a woodblock print of a full dandelion— root to bloom - that’s said Resist that hung over my desk but Im like your twist on the powers and place for these useful beauties.
So lovely, Sydney! I like dandelions too. I find it impossible not to admire their glorious yellow and hardiness. I probably shouldn’t admit this, but I still blow those white seeds when I see those puffballs 😂 I really enjoyed this, especially the parallels with tending to your land and emotional growth.
Thank you so much, Maria! You should definitely admit it - I just did it yesterday 🤣 It's really a marvel of natural engineering - highly functional, entirely delightful :)
As a fellow gardener, I can relate to the dandelion dilemma. And I also really appreciate the brain and heart as soil metaphor here. Such a helpful way to see growth and change. Thank you, Sidney.
Funny, we haven't tried them yet! Honestly, they're so cute I haven't been able to bring myself to pick any so far. Got any harvesting tips, & favorite ways to prepare?
Sydney! What a lovely comparison of dandelions to emotions! Absolutely, it's fascinating how our inner landscape mirrors the natural world. Just as weeds can overrun a garden if left unchecked, unchecked anxieties and self-criticism can overwhelm our mental space, hindering our ability to cultivate a balanced and thriving inner life. Recognizing their healthy purpose while also managing their overgrowth is key to maintaining internal harmony & you've managed to sum it up so well.
Thank you so much, Monika! "Recognizing their healthy purpose while also managing their overgrowth is key to maintaining internal harmony," so well said!💕
What a wonderful post, Sydney! I agree with you on the dandelions (we make a boiled salad out of the leaves in Greece, my father lives off that and fish) and the intrusive, negative thoughts. The struggle to re-programm the brain in order to make space for nurturing thoughts is so well articulated. And lovely pictures (as always!)
Thank you, Eliza! Boiled salad, that sounds amazing! Would you mind describing how you make it? We eat quite a lot of local tinned fish from here in coastal Maine, and this is sounding like a really good combination :) Re-programming is such a good word for it, such an on-going effort 💕
It is actually pretty straightforward: after cleaning the leaves of any dirt you boil them in water with some salt and then drown them in olive oil and lemon juice. That's it. With that we fry gavro (which is translated as "anchovy" but is not actually the same as an anchovy, smaller and subtler in taste) and enjoy :)
This brings to mind a story my mother told me about when they were children during the Depression. Her father told all seven of them to take their wagon out past the last house to the field and pick as many yellow dandelions as they could. When they asked why he told them it wasn’t their business to know, just to obey.
Apparently he used the bright yellow heads to make dandelion wine and stored the keg in the attic to ferment.
The kids figured something was up and when he was working as a conductor on the railroad and their mother was busy baking and cooking they snuck into the attic and, out of curiosity, began to taste it, replacing what they drank with water.
Oh my gosh, what a great story! I've read about dandelion wine, though we've never got around to trying it. That's absolutely hilarious. Yet another colorful chapter in dandelion lore!🤣 Would you mind if I share this story on Notes? I think people would get a kick out of it :)
Beautiful images of dandelions Sydney. I wish more people would allow the dandlions to groq naturally across properties. They're such a nice sight with their bright yellow colours.
This spoke to my soul. I very much appreciate dandelions in the right place just as I have appreciated my tap rooted ideas and habits at the right time as they have fed me even after uprooting. Thank you so much for bringing that all together.
We too, used to dig out dandelions, but then we attended a talk given by the then Prince of Wales's (now King Charles) head gardener, who said that the prince hated weeds to be grubbed from his lawns. The theory is that the leaves are always green and that the flowers are an insect's delight. As we know, the seedheads are things of great beauty. There are metaphors for life everywhere there.
Needless to say, we now leave all weeds alone in the lawns and now we have the yellows of dandelions, the blues of rampant ajuga and the mauves of thuggish violets - but we have a fabulous population of insects. Natural wildness all round. Perhaps another metaphor...
How wonderful! Yes, exactly "metaphors for life everywhere" 💕 I'm so glad to here how you heard and embraced this message!
We’re always balancing here on the homestead. Carving out specific spaces for specific purposes. Clear this space to grow this crop. Make this space neat and tidy, for your table and chairs and your morning coffee. But clear carefully, by hand if possible, so you can leave in-place all the little treasures you find. And everywhere else, leave the tangles and the wild meadows, let the wildflowers grow! Because that’s how you invite all your wonderful, delightful, surprising wild neighbors to share that morning coffee with you! :) It takes more thought, patience, acceptance, I suppose - but it's such a delightful work and reward!
Thanks for commenting, Prue, this is a subject that's so close to my heart 💕
Just…wow, Sydney. Is this your Magnum opus or something? Incredible!
🤣Thank you, Don, maybe so! Although, nature & gardening are always surprising me with new & profound illustrations, so hopefully there's more where this came from 🤣 Seriously, though, thanks so much for the high praise 💕
I am very sure there is much more coming. And equally as skilled and wonderful!
Beautiful! I resonate with the emotional lessons learned through gardening and you have described it so clearly. This metaphor is exquisite. I love that dandelions are the teacher here too because they literally move our livers which helps us clear wastes, including processing hormones and neurotransmitters that influence our moods and emotions. I too let dandelions grow some places and dig them up other places. I too ask emotions to rest and wait at some times and allow them to rise up when I have the time and space to face them. You've done a lovely job of sharing how plants can be teachers without even being consumed.
Thank you, Lindsay, for this thoughtful comment! I didn't know that about dandelions, nutritionally, so fascinating. "...ask emotions to rest and wait at some times and allow them to rise up when I have the time and space to face them." You put that so beautifully into the practical terms of daily living. I'm so glad to have been able to share this dandelion moment with you :)
Beautiful and uplifting post, Sydney! The dandelion as a weed and as a metaphor really does let the sunshine into our internal landscapes. I love how you’ve crafted this and the photography is outstanding. A true testament to resilience.
Thank you so much, Heidi! Dandelions have such a beautiful message 💕
Beautiful... thank you for sharing and brightening my day.
Thank you, Kim, so glad to have connected with you hear!
Dandelions are great, insects love them. I like the connections your draw between the dandelions and intrusive thoughts. Excellent article.
Thank you so much, Juliet!
I live dandelions but now also live the metaphors you’ve brought to mind. I used to have a woodblock print of a full dandelion— root to bloom - that’s said Resist that hung over my desk but Im like your twist on the powers and place for these useful beauties.
Thank you, Jessica! That's fascinating, now I'm really enjoying thinking about dandelions in terms of "Resist." :)
Ugh I just reread my comment — sorry for all the typos 🫣
Oh, it’s no problem, Jessica! It was easy to understand :) Typos are not about to get in my way 🤣
Because that’s the thing about dandelions! I love them too. Great article.
Thank you so much, Tinabeth! 💕
So lovely, Sydney! I like dandelions too. I find it impossible not to admire their glorious yellow and hardiness. I probably shouldn’t admit this, but I still blow those white seeds when I see those puffballs 😂 I really enjoyed this, especially the parallels with tending to your land and emotional growth.
Thank you so much, Maria! You should definitely admit it - I just did it yesterday 🤣 It's really a marvel of natural engineering - highly functional, entirely delightful :)
I love that perspective! Absolutely delightful 🥰
As a fellow gardener, I can relate to the dandelion dilemma. And I also really appreciate the brain and heart as soil metaphor here. Such a helpful way to see growth and change. Thank you, Sidney.
Thank you, Emily! Gardening is so full of life illustrations for us, isn't it? 💕
Yes!
I’ll bet you like fiddleheads, too—maybe a future topic?
Funny, we haven't tried them yet! Honestly, they're so cute I haven't been able to bring myself to pick any so far. Got any harvesting tips, & favorite ways to prepare?
Sydney! What a lovely comparison of dandelions to emotions! Absolutely, it's fascinating how our inner landscape mirrors the natural world. Just as weeds can overrun a garden if left unchecked, unchecked anxieties and self-criticism can overwhelm our mental space, hindering our ability to cultivate a balanced and thriving inner life. Recognizing their healthy purpose while also managing their overgrowth is key to maintaining internal harmony & you've managed to sum it up so well.
Thank you so much, Monika! "Recognizing their healthy purpose while also managing their overgrowth is key to maintaining internal harmony," so well said!💕
What a wonderful post, Sydney! I agree with you on the dandelions (we make a boiled salad out of the leaves in Greece, my father lives off that and fish) and the intrusive, negative thoughts. The struggle to re-programm the brain in order to make space for nurturing thoughts is so well articulated. And lovely pictures (as always!)
Thank you, Eliza! Boiled salad, that sounds amazing! Would you mind describing how you make it? We eat quite a lot of local tinned fish from here in coastal Maine, and this is sounding like a really good combination :) Re-programming is such a good word for it, such an on-going effort 💕
And here is an example: https://thegreekvegan.com/dandelion-greens-horta-vrasta/
It is actually pretty straightforward: after cleaning the leaves of any dirt you boil them in water with some salt and then drown them in olive oil and lemon juice. That's it. With that we fry gavro (which is translated as "anchovy" but is not actually the same as an anchovy, smaller and subtler in taste) and enjoy :)
This is wonderful, Eliza, thank you so much! I never thought to pair with olive oil and lemon juice - the simplest things are often the best! :)
We pair everything with olive oil (and partly also lemon juice ;))
This brings to mind a story my mother told me about when they were children during the Depression. Her father told all seven of them to take their wagon out past the last house to the field and pick as many yellow dandelions as they could. When they asked why he told them it wasn’t their business to know, just to obey.
Apparently he used the bright yellow heads to make dandelion wine and stored the keg in the attic to ferment.
The kids figured something was up and when he was working as a conductor on the railroad and their mother was busy baking and cooking they snuck into the attic and, out of curiosity, began to taste it, replacing what they drank with water.
He never did figure out why the wine was so weak.
Oh my gosh, what a great story! I've read about dandelion wine, though we've never got around to trying it. That's absolutely hilarious. Yet another colorful chapter in dandelion lore!🤣 Would you mind if I share this story on Notes? I think people would get a kick out of it :)
You are good to go!
Beautiful images of dandelions Sydney. I wish more people would allow the dandlions to groq naturally across properties. They're such a nice sight with their bright yellow colours.
Thanks, Neil, I couldn't agree more! Less griping, more appreciating, come on people 🤣
This spoke to my soul. I very much appreciate dandelions in the right place just as I have appreciated my tap rooted ideas and habits at the right time as they have fed me even after uprooting. Thank you so much for bringing that all together.
I'm so glad, Tara, thank you! I like this concept, "tap-rooted ideas and habits," such a rich perspective.